Rivals In Love (Love In Montana Book 4)

"Are you sure, Mr. Wilson?" Asked the professor with disbelief. Ryan was the topper of the class and he had no idea why he would choose one of the weakest students of the class who was struggling with her grades. No one had any idea about Georgia's disturbed life. She kept everything bottled up within her. There wasn't anyone whom she could call a friend except her aunt Dorothy. Whenever she was upset, her aunt was the only one whom she would talk to. 

"Yes sir," said Ryan confidently. The professor turned towards Georgia. 

"So Ms McLean, you and Mr Wilson will be partners for this project. Your topic will be the Studies of productive traits and relationships among three genetic groups of cattle using blood biochemical polymorphism. Clear? Any questions?" Asked the professor. Georgia blinked twice as the topic went past her head and she realized that she couldn't do this project on her own much as she would have liked to. She didn't need Ryan's pity but the topic given to her wasn't easy and she would after all need his help with it. 

"Sir, can it be any type of cattle that we find at Alpine Dairy?" Asked Ryan. The professor nodded.

"Yes, any three types of cattle," he answered. 

The class went on as the professor briefly elaborated each topic. He explained what needed to be done and the points that needed to be covered. It seemed as if the topic given to them was the toughest of all. The professor left them ten minutes early so that they could discuss the project and plan accordingly. After he left Ryan looked at Georgia, expecting her to come over and thank him but to his surprise, she just sat at her desk, reading through the notes that she had jotted down in class. While all the students sat with their partners, he was the only one who sat without one. He got up and walked up to Georgia. 

"Aren't you interested in doing the project with me?" He asked her impatiently. Georgia looked at him.

"Why do you want to do it with me?" She asked him. 

"It's not a question of want here, is it? We're the only ones left so we might as well do it together, " shrugged Ryan. He would never admit that he hadn't partnered with anyone else because he wanted to be with her. 

"So, do you mind if I sit with you?" Asked Ryan when she didn't respond. She looked up at him hesitantly and shook her head. Ryan felt relieved and sat down beside her. 

"So tell me when we can discuss this project in detail?" He asked her. "Will you be able to stay back after college?" He asked. 

Georgia shook her head. "No," she told him. Ryan felt irritated and angry at her answer. What important work could she have that she couldn't even stay back for fifteen minutes? 

"Why? Do you have some f*cking boyfriend waiting for you that you can't spare even fifteen minutes for your studies?" He gritted out. The thought of her having a boyfriend waiting for her suddenly seemed to kiss him off. 

"I have my mom waiting at home for her lunch. I go home, cook for her and feed her first," said Georgia, quietly, looking down at her notes. She would never have told anybody but Ryan's words hurt her and she couldn't control herself. Ryan gaped at her for sometime. Then he realized what she had just told him.

"Can't your mom cook for herself?" He asked, looking puzzled. 

"She's bedridden and very sick, " said Georgia. "You can do the project on your own, Ryan. You don't have to do it with me. I'll figure it out," she told him with a shrug. Ryan shook his head. 

"No, I'll do this with you. So you tell me when can I meet you?" He asked softly, looking at her angelic face. For the first time he got a glimpse of what she might be really going through. 

"I'll come to college half an hour early from tomorrow," she told him, looking at her hands. She didn't want to look into his eyes in order to keep it superficial and professional. It was best that they didn't get involved in any kind of relationship, neither friendship, nor anything else. She just wanted to finish this project as early as possible and stop all interactions with Ryan before things go out of hand and her brothers find out. 

"Fine and how will you manage to go to Alpine Dairy?" Asked Ryan. 

"I'll get a written order from professor Harrisburg and show it to dad. He'll give his permission, " said Georgia. Ryan nodded his head. 

"Shall we discuss the breakup of the topic first?" Asked Ryan. For a few minutes, they discussed the breakdown of the topic and determined what modules needed to be covered. They divided the topic amongst themselves. 

"Even if we cannot go together to Alpine Dairy, you can go at your convenient time and do your own research and I'll do mine," said Ryan. Georgia nodded. The next class was a lab and they rushed towards it. Although Ryan wanted to talk to Georgia more, it seemed she avoided him at all cost. 

Georgia knew that he didn't talk to her because he wanted to but out of compulsion. So she kept to herself. She shouldn't take advantage of the situation and bother him much. After classes she sought out professor Harrisburg to get his written permission to visit Alpine Dairy Farm. He handed it over to her and Georgia walked towards the gate to book a cab and go home. She was deep in her thoughts. She hadn't been able to find herself a job yet. She would take to the placement cell of her college of they could find her an internship. She could also seek work at Alpine Dairy Farm. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed Ryan waiting for her near the main entrance.

"Hi," said Ryan and Georgia looked up, clutching at her jumpy heart. 

"Oh, you?" She gasped, breathing deeply. Ryan grinned.

"I can drop you if you want, " he offered. Georgia shook her head vehemently. 

"I'll take a cab," she told him. Ryan caught her hand to stop her from leaving. 

"Please, I insist. No one will find out. Let me drop you," he continued relentlessly. Georgia looked up at him with surprise and confusion in her eyes.

"There's no compulsion to drop me, Ryan," she told him, trying to extricate her hand from his hold. Doing a project with her was a compulsion for him. Then why did he need to drop her home? No one had asked him to.

"I know that there's no compulsion. I just want to," he shrugged.

"Why? Don't you hate me like everyone else in this college? Why are you trying to be nice to me?" She asked, her eyes brimming with the hurt that she had been bottling up for so many days. She had no idea why she broke down in front of Ryan. She never showed her emotions in front of anyone. She was used to hiding her feelings. Ryan stared at her quivering lips, her glistening eyes and her flushed face.

"I don't hate you Georgia, " he said softly. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and comfort her. He felt a strange need in him to kiss those pink, plump quivering lips and convince her that he didn't hate her at all. Georgia wiped her eyes and extricated her hand and ran out before Ryan could say another word. She climbed into a cab and disappeared out of sight leaving Ryan staring after her. After she disappeared from view, Ryan walked towards his car deep in thought. He would ask her for her phone number tomorrow. 

Georgia hadn't believed a word he said. Of course he hated her. She knew that he hated her. He was their rival and she was just doing a project with him. That's all there is to it. 'No emotional attachments, Ryan. I don't want to be involved with you,' she said in her mind. She reached home and paid the cab driver. She could feel her brothers scowling at her from the front yard. Ignoring them, she went to freshen up and then cook for her mom. After feeding her mom, she made herself a sandwich and sat with it in her room. She would have to ask her dad for his permission tonight to visit Alpine Dairy. 

After dinner, she showed her dad the written note that her professor Harrisburg issued out to her. She explained to him about the project that she had to do, carefully leaving out Ryan's name from it. "I would have to go there to do my research, dad," she told him.

"Who's your partner?" Asked Brian gruffly.

"Macy, my friend," she shrugged, looking at her dad.

"Dad, she's lying. I'm sure it's that Wilson boy," said Brian, grumbling to himself. 

"Stop it Brian," said her dad. 

"You can go but if I hear that you're with the Wilson boy, you know what I'll do," warned her dad. Georgia shrugged.

"I'm doing the project with Macy. The whole class will go there to complete their own projects. Even Ryan will go. So what's the big deal? If you don't want me to do it, just write a note and I'll hand it over to professor Harrisburg," she said, feeling extremely upset. 

"Fine, you can go. From tomorrow onwards, you can take your mom's car when you go out," said her dad, walking out of the room before she could persuade him to take her mom to the hospital.